Improvement in car-brakes



S. P. TALLMAN. Car-Brake.

No..222,163. Patented Dec. 2, 1879.

Fig-J.

INVENTOR: ATTEST:A

UNITED STT-mnsn PAT T STEPHEN I). TALLMAN, `OF DUNELLEN, NEW JERSEY.

' `IMPRovlalvnaNT IN CAR-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,163, dated December 2, 1879; application liled September 251879.

To allwhom it mag/concern Be it known that I, STEPHEN P. TALLMAN,

` ,a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Dunellen, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvem ents inAu tomaticCar-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to th at class of brakes for railway-cars in which thechecking of the engine, and the consequent closingof the 'cars upon. each other by their momentum, serves to set the brakes upon the-wheels; and it embodies certain improvements upon the invention for which I was granted a patent August 26, 1879, No. 218,838, `which improvements will behereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings, which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure l is a bottom View or plan of one-half of a car-bottom, showing one truck and the evener between l the trucks. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the saine. Fig. 3 is a vertical .longitudinal section. Fig. 4 represents two enlarged views ofthe ratcheted gear-wheel. F-ig. 5 is an enlarged viewof `the draw-head and push-bar. Fig. illustratesa modicatiou.

Let A represent, generally, the base-frame of the car-body, and B the truck-frame under `one end of the same, in which are journaled` the axles C C, bearing the truck-wheels D D. E E are the ordinary brakebars, and c a the shoes. All of these may be arranged in the usualway. F is a friction-pulley, fixed on vone of the car-axles of the truck, and Gr is a friction-pulley mounted on an axle or shaft, b,

one end of which has a bearing in a pendent lever, c, and the other a bearing at el on the truckframe, so constructed that the shaft may have a little lateral play. lOn the shaft bis xed a wheel or pini-on, e, arranged tomesh with a toothed wheel, j', mounted looselyon a wi'ndlass shaft or barrel, g, which is mounted in bearings on the truck-frame. The peculiar construction of this wheel f will be more fully hereinafter explained; i

A pivoted lever, h, is hung to the end brake bar, and from one end of this lever a rod, z', extends to and takes hold of the other brakebar, and from the opposite end of the lever another rod, j, extends to andta-kes hold of an evener, H, pivoted orhun g to the under `side of the car. From, the other end of this evener a bar and chain, lc, extends back to the windlass g, upon which it is wound when the brakes `are set.

`In this construction each truck of the carlis `provided with a brake mechanism like thatv shown in the figures; but it is deemed essary to show more than one. A rod, j', extends from the evener unneca opposite end of the car. i of this evener the automatic setting'of-the brakes at either end of the car sets all of the" brakes.

I is a push-bar, the rear endof which passes through an eye in the upper end of the lever' c, and is provided with a cushionspring and adjustable set-collar similar to those shown 1n my former patent before mentioned; This bar I passes through and is supported bya pendent lever, Z, mounted on the car, andisf provided with a retracting-spring, m, andan adjustable head, a, as clearly shown in Fig 5, where the said head is shown in section.

When the brake is in operative condition.V

the head u takes behind a projecting lug, 0or

some projecting part of the draw-bar J. TheV Y up, the draw-bar J is driven in. in the push-bar I, which pushes back thenpper extremity of the lever c, and thus brings the pulleys F and Gr into frictional Contact.

The rotation thus imparted-Ato the fri ction-pulley Gr acts through the gears e and f to rotate the windlass g and win'd up the brake-chain k, which sets all of the brakes on the car.

Referring to Fig. 4, the gear wheel fis shown as provided with a pawl, q, and a pawlspring, r, arranged in a casing, s. This pawl en gages a ratchet-wheel, u, fixed on the wind-` lass-barrel g. Thus it will `be seen that `when TTTGE, i

to the u pivoted lever h at the opposite end of the car,- and a rod or chain, k', extends from the opp'offs site end of the evener to' the windlass at the?? By the employment@ ,When the cars come together in checking This drives means.

pawl drives the barrel g around with it; but

'when it is rotated in the opposite direction the pawl plays over the' ratchet-teeth and the barrel is not rotated.

As i,before stated, the brake mechanisms at the opposite ends of the car are constructed precisely alike, but reversed in arrangementthat is, the free ends of the pawls q in the two sets point in opposite directions, the one at the front end of the car pointing to the front, and the one at the rear end pointing to the rear 5 and the ratchets u are arranged to correspond with this arrangement of the pawls.

I Therefore, as I only employ one set of brake mechanism at a tiine-that at the forward end of they car for the time being, the other set being rendered temporarily inoperative-I am enabled to back the cars without setting the brakes, as the pawl q, when the car is moving backward, will ride over the teeth of the ratchet u, and not operate the windlass.

Itis important in an automatic brake of this class that it be actuated only from the forward end of the car, whichever end be for the time foremost, and that the brake mechanism at the other end be rendered temporarily inoperative. The reason for this is, that whenthe cars come together in stopping, the

brakes are set and remain so. Consequently, when the engine starts, it should relieve the brakes of the irst car, and it, in starting, should relieve the brakes of the second, and so on to the end of the train. When the brakes are set and relieved only from the fore- -lmost end ofthe car, this will be the case; but

if the brakes are set from both ends of the car, or from the rear ends only, each car must be started with the brakes on. I therefore, in making up the train, render the brakes inoperative from the rear end of each ear by throwing over thelever Z, so as to set the head `of the push-bar I clear of the rlug o on the draw-bar. The draw-bar may then be driven l inv by the collision of the cars without actuating the push-bar.

To maintain this position of the lever l, Iprovide a key or wedge, p,

i which may be inserted into the lever-socket on either side of the lever, and thus prevent n it from shifting.

. and, preferably, a lock-nut, as shown; but it may be made adjustable by other well-known I also bevel the head n and lug 0, so as to insure the head passing behind the lug in shifting.

In Fi g. 6 I have shown a modification of the device for shifting the push-bar. In this construction the push-bar is bent into a crank shape near its outer end, and the short arm of the bell-crank lever l is connected with this crank portion by means of a link, w.

The dotted lines in the upper view `indicate 'clearly the operation in shifting. Other equivalent means may readily be devised for shifting the head of the push-bar; and I do not confine myself to the precise constructionshown.

In some cases the brakes are omitted from one of the trucks of the car. Vhere this is the case, I arrange my operative mechanism precisely as shown, omitting only such *rods as would be employed to connect the omitted brakes to the operative mechanism and the evener; or, if sets of brakes be employed on both trucks and the evener be omitted, each set of brakes will be operated independently by its operative mechanism; and in such an arrangement, when the mechanism at one end is rendered i1;1o1')erative, the brakes at that end will not be set from the mechanism at the other end. This arrangementis not, however, desirable.

' The evener H is in common use with wellknown brake mechanisms for connecting the mechanisms at opposite ends of the car; and I make no claim to it.

The ratchet device may be placed in the pulley G or pinion e instead of the gear-wheel rangement of a ratchet,V not necessarily reversible, in the gear f, in connection withthe shifting mechanism, whereby the mechanism at one end is rendered inoperative, thus enabling me to back the cars or run them with either end foremost without reversing the pawls, one pawl being arranged, once for all, inversely to the other.

It also consists in the construction and arrangement of the push-bar in such a manner that it mayT be readily shifted, and in certain minor combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more specifica-ll y set forth in the claims.

I claim- 1. In an automatic car-braking mechanism,

the gear-wheelf, provided with the pawl q and pawl-spring r, in combination with the windlass-barrel g, provided with the ratchet-wheel u, fixed thereon, the pinion c, shaft b, fixed friction-wheels F G, lever c, push-bar I, the draw-bar J, provided with a lug, 0, and the brake bars, shoes, and rods, all constructed push-bar I and the lug o' on the draw-bar J,

both beveled off or rounded, as shown, so as4 the pushbar, the lever c, shaft b, pulleys F G, pinion e, toothed gear f, provided with a pawl ,and `pawlspring, the windlassbarrel g, provided with the xed ratchet u, and the brake bars, shoes, and chains or rods, all arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

1n witness whereotl I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.l

STEPHEN P. TALLMAN.

Vitnesses:

HENRY GONNETT, ARTHUR G. FRASER. 

